AP: US intelligence expects Russia to attack Ukraine in early 2022

by time news

US intelligence officials believe that Russia could launch a military offensive against Ukraine in 2022, 175,000 Russian troops will be deployed on the border, and half of them are already concentrated in various points. The Associated Press was told by a source in the administration of US President Joe Biden.

The plans call for the relocation of 100 battalion tactical groups along with armored vehicles, artillery and equipment, the official said.

US officials and former US diplomats also believe that “Putin is clearly laying the groundwork for a possible invasion,” but note that the Ukrainian military is better prepared today than in years past, and Western sanctions will seriously damage the Russian economy. According to them, it remains unclear whether Russia will go on a “risky offensive”, the article says.

At the same time, some US government officials say that through military escalation, Russia can also seek attention and concessions from President Joe Biden and other Western leaders.

The article also speaks of Putin’s intention to seek guarantees from the United States that would rule out NATO expansion to Ukraine. The fact that the deployment of the military infrastructure of Western countries in Ukraine for Russia can be a “red line”, Putin said at the investment forum “VTB Capital” “Russia is calling!”

Joe Biden said to this that he does not respect anyone’s red lines in the context of Ukraine.

Reports of alleged plans for a Russian “invasion” of Ukraine appeared in a number of Western media in the fall. For example, Bloomberg, citing data from American intelligence, claimed that about 100,000 Russian soldiers could invade Ukraine from three directions at once. Other publications reported on the transfer of Russian military personnel and equipment to the borders of the republic. The Kremlin categorically denies plans to attack Ukraine. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its discretion. The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova, in turn, announced that 125,000 Ukrainian soldiers and officers were being drawn into the conflict zone in the Donbass.

This week, the US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland threatened to impose “unprecedented” economic sanctions against Russia in the event of aggression against Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised to take retaliatory measures.

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